Ulysses

Just saw that there is a "reasonably" priced copy of Ulysses posted on ebay. Still too much for my budget but someday hope to add this and Lysistrata to my collection. That made me curious and wanted to ask the group, what is the most valuable LEC publication in your collection. I believe that mine would be Mobby Dick and the House of Usher.

>1 jpinomaha: Heights of Macchu Picchu followed by the Shakespeare set and then Moby Dick. What surprised me as I scanned the prices for my LECs was how little I paid for most of them.

>1 jpinomaha:

The Grapes of Wrath followed by the Shakespeare set. Interestingly, the 39 volume Shkespeare cost me half of what the 2 volume Steinbeck books cost.

>3 Django6924: Such variation, The Grapes of Wrath cost me a third of my Shakespeare set.

>
The Schiff era Seven Years in Tibet.

Moby Dick, Ficciones and perhaps Benton illustrated Huckleberry Finn, All the king’s men, and Wind in the willows.

Were there any “valuable” LEC publications between 1955 and 1980 (valuable as defined by today’s market prices)?

>6 lecinprogress:

The Martian Chronicles. Origin of Species.

Depending on the seller and condition, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Anabasis, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius can exceed $100.

Practically everything else published during this period is a steal, in my opinion.

Mine is likely my unsigned Through the Looking Glass, still the single most expensive book I've bought.

I'm very new to LEC collecting and so far Fahrenheit 451 has been my only splurge. Of the 70+ books I've acquired this year, about 80% have been bought for under $40, usually under $30.

Maybe "Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul" by Angelou, depending on the current market...

Pertaining to the title of this thread, there might be an opportunity to pick up a real bargain: the best copy of the LEC Ulysses I have seen and one of the very few signed by Matisse and Joyce--still with the original glassine!

https://www.pbagalleries.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/537/lot/175395/

Bidding starts at a low, low $7500, and the current high bid is just $10,000; get out your checkbooks, Devotees!

>11 Django6924:
:)
A great looking copy! I am not tempted...

In re-looking at my collection I also value the Dickens' The Chimes (w/o a slipcase) & a Christmas Carroll.

I do have a copy of Comus actually autographed by Dulac before he passed and Poor Richard's Almanac autographed by Rockwell.

Just picked up the Les Miz set. Waiting for it to arrive.

>11 Django6924: Beautiful copy but not likely to be a bargain. When buying at auction one has to figure in the 20% buyer's premium not to mention taxes, shipping and handling.

Wow!!! There are some high dollar books some of you have. I guess The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night would be my most expensive. Quite a range of prices based on condition on Abe. In fine condition, it is a beautiful set of books.

>15 Jan7Smith:

I’m trying to convince myself my almost Like New HP copy is quite sufficient. The scarcity of Fine LEC copies is some help, but the price is a bigger help! Your post, on the other hand...

>1 jpinomaha:

And for me the answer is also the Shakespeare set, but that seems a bit silly, following that Anna Karenina (edit: 1951 - only just found out there was a 1933 edition). If I’d been a bit more reckless it would probably be War and Peace!

>7 MobyRichard:

I’m kicking myself for not buying the Metamorphoses and Divine Comedy NF for under 100 USD in my first six months of LEC collecting. It’s beginning to look like those will be expensive acquisitions, but am trying patience for a while...

On the topic of valuable books - A “good” copy of Moby Dick just got listed on eBay for $530. A bit pricey for that condition in my opinion.

>17 GusLogan:

Depends on what you're looking for. The Divine comedy, like the 1930's Odyssey and iliad are about the typography and paper. I personally didn't bother much looking for NF bindings and so got substantial discounts.

Lysistrata is the most expensive book. I got it in 2012 for 4.8 K. Ulysses was $800 cheaper. Among expensive and rare books of Macy bel epoque there are 2 Alices, Shakespeare 39 vols, Walt Whitman printed in 1942, 2 vols of Robert Frost. In the Times between Macy and Shiff there were not published very expensive books. Shiff started new policies in 1979, and the prices became 3 digits, and after 1988 the prices jumped to 4 digits. A beautifully amazing book was printed in 1990, Genesis, that I got for 4K. Most of Shiff's books after 1990 cost between 1000 and 2000. The quality and beauty of these publications are unprecedented, the number of copies is mostly 300 copies.

>20 skyschaker: If you don't have any heirs, please adopt me and make me beneficiary of that part of your estate.

>1 jpinomaha: Ulysses - signed by Matisse and Joyce is by far the most expensive LEC book (condition is of course a factor). Those copies, in NF condition along with a NF slipcase are into 5 figures USD now.

How Macy dealt with lotteries.

Charles Agvent is selling a copy of Ulysses signed by both Matisse and Joyce.

https://www.abaa.org/book/1470597280

>24 Lukas1990: Caveat emptor

>25 Sport1963: Obviously. Still a very rare copy.

>25 Sport1963:

Amen. One of my least favorite booksellers for several reasons.